Monterufoli has extensive outcrops of ophiolites, also known as ‘green rocks’, here represented mainly by serpentine. These are ancient ocean beds that emerged and arrived in the area following movements of the earth’s crust. On the arid slopes, they are home to a sparse shrub vegetation known as garrigue. In these environments, so hostile to plants, herbaceous species have developed that live exclusively in contact with these rocks and there are extraordinary flowerings.